Project Cyclone
- Thread starter Epburpee
- Start date
This is the current set-up I am looking at. I want to have excellent gaming performance on one 1440, 28-inch monitor.
Won't be surprised if I change my mind again later.
Motherboard - Gigabyte X870I AORUS PRO ICE Mini ITX AM5 Motherboard
I just found out about BTF boards. They might be helpful for creating a clean-looking, easy-to-build PC.
CPU - AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D
Not sure if I need this one specifically yet.
Case - Fractal Era 2
I haven't decided yet if I am going with blue or white.
Ram - 32BG of DDR5?
Storage - A 2TB SSD for the OS and a 4TB one for everything else.
PSU - A Fully Modular SFX one.
Am going to look at good cable management too. Will need to better understand these parts and how they
can fit together in the case first.
Graphics card - I am going to get it later for the gaming.
Won't be surprised if I change my mind again later.
Motherboard - Gigabyte X870I AORUS PRO ICE Mini ITX AM5 Motherboard
I just found out about BTF boards. They might be helpful for creating a clean-looking, easy-to-build PC.
CPU - AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D
Not sure if I need this one specifically yet.
Case - Fractal Era 2
I haven't decided yet if I am going with blue or white.
Ram - 32BG of DDR5?
Storage - A 2TB SSD for the OS and a 4TB one for everything else.
PSU - A Fully Modular SFX one.
Am going to look at good cable management too. Will need to better understand these parts and how they
can fit together in the case first.
Graphics card - I am going to get it later for the gaming.
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I have been doing some other things so this has taken a back seat for the time being.
However, I am pretty sure that I am building in Fractal Terra.
I like this case and don't mind spending a bit extra on it. Also, I realised that size is a priority,
especially now that I could be moving the room I will have the PC in, and that would be cool to have
one that I can pick up easily and move.
I have a fair prospect of having the spare cash to build it in late August, but I dont really have any
control on that so not counting my chickens with it.
Here is the headphone stand I made :
However, I am pretty sure that I am building in Fractal Terra.
I like this case and don't mind spending a bit extra on it. Also, I realised that size is a priority,
especially now that I could be moving the room I will have the PC in, and that would be cool to have
one that I can pick up easily and move.
I have a fair prospect of having the spare cash to build it in late August, but I dont really have any
control on that so not counting my chickens with it.
Here is the headphone stand I made :
Rich (BB code):
Rich (BB code):
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I've just got to get a course I am finishing out the way,
Then, in late October, I will finally get to build my PC at last!
I've already bought a Lian Li A3 to build in. It was cheaper than the North and is a better size.
mATX, so no SFF tax. Easier to build in too.
I have also bought the mobo. I hope to pick up the rest of it at a decent price in the coming weeks.
I am still unsure of which CPU to get.
I decided all white was optional, because I'd rather just get the best parts possible.
But will get in white if I can.
With the Asus PSU Ill get some different white power cables instead of the black ones that come with it.
SSD might be overkill (not the size but the make), but it has excellent reviews. Hoping I can get it cheaper than the current price.
Very much looking forward to having all the parts and building it
Part List
CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 7900 3.7 GHz 12-Core Processor (£269.99)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Peerless Assassin 140 77.8 CFM CPU Cooler (£35.00)
Motherboard: Asus ROG STRIX B850-G GAMING WIFI Micro ATX AM5 Motherboard (£250.00)
Memory: Crucial Pro Overclocking 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-6400 CL40 Memory (£179.99)
Storage: Samsung 990 Pro 4 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive (£266.35)
Case: Lian Li A3-mATX MicroATX Mini Tower Case (£75.46)
Power Supply: Asus ROG LOKI 1000 W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully Modular SFX Power Supply (£177.72)
Total: £1254.51
Then, in late October, I will finally get to build my PC at last!
I've already bought a Lian Li A3 to build in. It was cheaper than the North and is a better size.
mATX, so no SFF tax. Easier to build in too.
I have also bought the mobo. I hope to pick up the rest of it at a decent price in the coming weeks.
I am still unsure of which CPU to get.
I decided all white was optional, because I'd rather just get the best parts possible.
But will get in white if I can.
With the Asus PSU Ill get some different white power cables instead of the black ones that come with it.
SSD might be overkill (not the size but the make), but it has excellent reviews. Hoping I can get it cheaper than the current price.
Very much looking forward to having all the parts and building it
Part List
CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 7900 3.7 GHz 12-Core Processor (£269.99)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Peerless Assassin 140 77.8 CFM CPU Cooler (£35.00)
Motherboard: Asus ROG STRIX B850-G GAMING WIFI Micro ATX AM5 Motherboard (£250.00)
Memory: Crucial Pro Overclocking 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-6400 CL40 Memory (£179.99)
Storage: Samsung 990 Pro 4 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive (£266.35)
Case: Lian Li A3-mATX MicroATX Mini Tower Case (£75.46)
Power Supply: Asus ROG LOKI 1000 W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully Modular SFX Power Supply (£177.72)
Total: £1254.51
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You can say that again.
I am still finishing said course. Turned out that nothing happened if the deadline was
missed, and there's no real pressure. I plan to get it done by next weekend.
For my PC, the last parts I need are :
Unfortunately, there was no 1000-watt in white. So I've bought some white vinyl to cut out and stick over it.
So, I will need to decide if Im going to mess around with that first.
What I'll do first is see how it fits inside the case, as I haven't even had a proper look at that yet.
I had some good luck with the PSU. It came with a very minor scratch on the sticker.
I brought this to the seller, and they gave me a full refund and let me keep it! Which seemed overly generous, but I'll take it.
That was a healthy discount on the whole system right there
I got a Thermalright air cooler (Royal Pretor Ultra 130mm). I do like the look of AIO and how they take up less space in the centre,
But I didn't want the extra point of failure, especially if it's not needed.
I have a box with some remaining bits and bobs from my last build, including some fans.
I do like the option of RGB fans, so long as I can easily switch them off. But prices vary a lot on these.
Best for me to watch some videos first of all, and figure out how to best cool it and what fans I need for that.
missed, and there's no real pressure. I plan to get it done by next weekend.
For my PC, the last parts I need are :
- CPU - I have found it hard to select one. What I might do is get a cheaper AM4 and upgrade later.
- RAM - Was going to get 64GB, but I think realistically 32GB might suffice, for now at least.
- White CPU cables
- Fans
Unfortunately, there was no 1000-watt in white. So I've bought some white vinyl to cut out and stick over it.
So, I will need to decide if Im going to mess around with that first.
What I'll do first is see how it fits inside the case, as I haven't even had a proper look at that yet.
I had some good luck with the PSU. It came with a very minor scratch on the sticker.
I brought this to the seller, and they gave me a full refund and let me keep it! Which seemed overly generous, but I'll take it.
That was a healthy discount on the whole system right there
I got a Thermalright air cooler (Royal Pretor Ultra 130mm). I do like the look of AIO and how they take up less space in the centre,
But I didn't want the extra point of failure, especially if it's not needed.
I have a box with some remaining bits and bobs from my last build, including some fans.
I do like the option of RGB fans, so long as I can easily switch them off. But prices vary a lot on these.
Best for me to watch some videos first of all, and figure out how to best cool it and what fans I need for that.
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It's academic since you've gone air-cooled but you're probably over-thinking AIOs. Watercooling is more efficient so it can potentially handle higher heat loads. That either means you can overclock more (silicon dependent, of course) or it can be quieter than an air cooler. With a full custom loop you tend to base the fan speed (and pump potentially) off of the coolant temp rather than the CPU temp so even if the fans are audible, it's not ramping up and down like a straight air cooler.
In terms of failure, everything is a lottery and 'stuff' happens but I've been running an Arctic 240 cooler on an12-core ES Xeon for the last 5 years 24x7. When I lobbed in some extra sticks of RAM recently when I started it back up, the AIO sounded like a bath drain (at least until it warmed back up again) so I replaced it with, as it happens, a ThermalRight Frozen Prism 240. The wiring isn't modular (you can remove the RGB cable that I don't need) and it's weirdly quite stiff so cable management is a bit harder than it needs to be...but otherwise it seems pretty comparable to AIOs that are more than twice the cost. At £30 if it doesn't last as long as 5 years, it's not really a problem. Probably be looking to replace system by then anyway!
In terms of failure, everything is a lottery and 'stuff' happens but I've been running an Arctic 240 cooler on an12-core ES Xeon for the last 5 years 24x7. When I lobbed in some extra sticks of RAM recently when I started it back up, the AIO sounded like a bath drain (at least until it warmed back up again) so I replaced it with, as it happens, a ThermalRight Frozen Prism 240. The wiring isn't modular (you can remove the RGB cable that I don't need) and it's weirdly quite stiff so cable management is a bit harder than it needs to be...but otherwise it seems pretty comparable to AIOs that are more than twice the cost. At £30 if it doesn't last as long as 5 years, it's not really a problem. Probably be looking to replace system by then anyway!
Looked into it some more, and I prefer AIO, so I'll resell the air cooler and get a 360mm Thermalright AIO.
I bought some thin fans to go on the bottom. I was going to buy them for £16 each,
Then there was another advert on the same website, and they were £6 a pop instead.
Took a good look at the motherboard yesterday to plan the cables. As I said previously, on my first build, the cables were a mess, and I don't want that to be the
case this time.
Think the easiest way is to daisy-chain them, and I guess I will tie them together and tuck them behind the motherboard.
I will get some better pics as progress continues.
I bought some thin fans to go on the bottom. I was going to buy them for £16 each,
Then there was another advert on the same website, and they were £6 a pop instead.
Took a good look at the motherboard yesterday to plan the cables. As I said previously, on my first build, the cables were a mess, and I don't want that to be the
case this time.
Think the easiest way is to daisy-chain them, and I guess I will tie them together and tuck them behind the motherboard.
I will get some better pics as progress continues.
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For stuff that looks untidy, you've either got to hide it or make a feature of it. If you've got some space that you can tuck the wiring out the way and it never be seen again, that's certainly easier and a lot less work. The other option is you sleeve the wiring in either paracord or mesh sleeving to match the colour scheme. If you're talking 4-pin fans, you're not going to get all four wires in a single paracord 550 sleeve unless you're going to replace the wiring with something like 26AWG MPPE insulated wire that's only 1mm OD. Nylon mesh sleeving is available in different sizes, it's just picking the right size that's the problem! That and which aesthetic you prefer. Definitely a rabbit-hole you can jump down to ludicrous degrees - depends how much time and sanity you have spare! 
So you can remove some cables off this AIO? Thought modular meant you can chop and change parts.
Less cables the better so long as it works.
I did see some wireless fans, but just taking a quick look the reviews were variable and the price was much higher.
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Assuming it's the same design of ThermalRight AIO, you've got the two hoses to the rad (obvs) and they don't have wiring run under the braid like some of the £70+ variety. Instead you have a hard-wired (not unpluggable) 4-pin fan connection and a hard-wired 3-pin ARGB connection coming off the CPU block. The fans for mine weren't RGB (didn't want it for a server that lives in a closed cupboard) so only have the usual 4-pin wires. They are separate like completely normal 120mm fans and they supply a small hub. Two (or in your case three) fans plug into it and it plugs into the mouth or a fan controller. No reason you need the fan hub if you have enough ports on a fan controller already. This does mean you need two 4-pin fan headers on your motherboard (or fan controller): one for pump and one for fans. But it does also mean you can control the pump and fan speed separately.
The "wireless" fans I've looked at all seem to have rather a lot of wires. I think the only thing is they chain together in a rad situation. If you're looking for a rad type situation (ie two or three fans mounted next to each other - with or without a rad under them; could be a case panel) have you looked at NZXT's single frame offerings?
I just posted about the 3x120 flavour here
The "wireless" fans I've looked at all seem to have rather a lot of wires. I think the only thing is they chain together in a rad situation. If you're looking for a rad type situation (ie two or three fans mounted next to each other - with or without a rad under them; could be a case panel) have you looked at NZXT's single frame offerings?
I just posted about the 3x120 flavour here
Thanks, I misunderstood somewhat, that helps. It's my second build, but it was a long time ago, and I still don't know too much about PC building
No, they look smart though, thanks!
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